CONTENTS
The App
The Website
The concept and strategy behind the personal planner style app created for the B-Hive Academy.
The dedicated website for the app is also very immersive, with alot of the similar elements as the app.
The Competition
The Pitch and Awards
The Facebook compeitition was a large part of the digital strategy element behind the app and web.
Information on the pitch and the Awards ceremony along with the outcomes of both of them.
INTRODUCTION
THE BRIEF
This brief required me to create an app and dedicated website based on the 4G revolution for the up and coming B-Hive Academy. It was to be aimed at mainly graduates, but also accessible to businesses and 3rd year students .
The Digital Category brief was split nto two sections, Digital and Digital strategy. Even better still if these two elements were integrated to form a strong outcome.
THE APP
THE APP CONCEPT
The concept behind the app was to have a personal planner style UX with a very aesthetically pleasing UI. This combined with the social networking platform allows for a community classroom style experience.
The user has a lot of influence over how their whole profile looks and how much they get out of it depends on how much they put into it in the first place.
It is easy to use and upload the files using a phone and being part of the blog community, meaning the user can contribute whenever they need to or are simply bored.
It gets the user used to managing their own time effectively, as well as getting them used to networking with other creatives as well as networking with the main professionals and businesses. These are skills that are a necessary part of the industry.
THE WEBSITE
The concept for the website was for the user to be immersed in a very interactice and very unique user experience. There are many elements that correspond and look like the elements from the app. The icons and the rest of the usability that occurs with the app, also occurs within the website. The profile panel allows to have an overview of the whole account. It is a hybrid of Facebook, Twitter, Behance, LinkedIn, IdeasTap and deviantart. The vlog community is called The Hive. In the vlog the Academy sets the brief for the module via the live RSS feed or posts up a tutorial and the rest of the users have the chance to comment of the vlog (constructive comments only please!) or share ideas or add other users whose comment you appreciate and of course, appreciate the comment. This allows for the individuals to be involved in a more classroom style experience, with room for comments and slight debates and the bouncing off of ideas of the other users. Overall the interaction and networking elements are some of the most important skills that the user will learn with the app and it is a vital skill for the industry.
The Hive community has a lot of the elements that are similar to Facebook and Twitter, when it comes to interaction. It is easy to use and easy to interact with other users. The user panel in the top left corner allows the user to oversee their entire account, such as who is following them and who they are following. The icons on the icon bar makes it so that it is incredibly easy to get to the part of the website that the user wants to get to quickly. The user can see the calendar of events that they have coming up in the week, such as networking events, design events or deadlines. There is also an overview of the users portfolio and images that they have uploaded and shared with the rest of The Hive. There is also an overview to see which of the community connections is online to talk to or share with, which is good for networking once again. The live feed gives the user the opportinity to share with the social networking platform, an image or an idea in which the rest of the platform can help with or comment on, again creating the classroom style experience that can be easily lost.
THE PITCH
The pitch presentation element of the competition was set up like a Dragons Den style pitch. 6 industry professional waiting to be blown away by the student pitching. With directors from agencies such as 383project and Pitch Consultants this was a very realistic pitch, although a lot friendlier! The process involved creating a PDF presentation which was interesting and to incorporate a lot of the thought processes and wireframes involved so that the panel could see the strategy behind it all. The feedback they were giving was to inform and advise which areas the pitching individual needed to improve on in the future, and whether they would buy in to the idea or not. The Dragons Den pitch has made me become more professional and alot more aware of what they look for within the industry and when they are investing in a pitch.
The process and strategy behind my pitch presentation went from what I wore to how I pitched the idea. The idea that I was pitching was to seem as though it could be the best possible way forward for the company. Rather than making the app and website too clever, I wanted to make it possible to make and within reason as well. This would win me favour as everyone wants something that is effective yet simple and also possible to do without breaking the bank. These things worked in my favour, the aspect that needed to be improved upon was to include more workings out and wireframes as well as scamps. I provided more final visuals, which is not always the best strategy to have. The experience was so very helpful albeit very nerve wracking, but in future I know what to expect and the next stage to find out if I was successful was tthe awards night.
THE AWARDS
The Awards night was held at the same place as the pitch presentations were held,, The Fazeley Studios in Digbeth. The Awards ceremony was to award an overall winner in each of the categories: Graphic Design, Marketing, Advertising, Digital and Public Relations. Along with this, 4 winners up would also be chosen. After consumption of food and alcohol, the awards ceremony began and I was announced as a close 2nd place in the Digital Category. This won me two week paid placements at LHM, Cogent Elliott and One Black Bear. These are all fantastic agencies to get placements with and they will give me a lot of useful tips and advice over the summer period. The awards night itself was fantastic and the directors of Pitch Consultants, who created the B-Hive competition are all fantastically helpful and friendly. Overall it was well worth doing and very enjoyable. The other winners and runners up are all people worth knowing as well, as the level of work produced this year was reportedly the highest quality that the judges have ever seen to date!